I love the term “sexual wellness.” It makes my work sound so much more meaningful when I introduce myself to people as the owner of a sexual wellness company. If I just say I own a sex toy company, I can probably expect a smile — but also that subtle change in expression indicating their dismissal of my hard work and accomplishments, and their lack of understanding that I’ve actually helped make people's lives better.
Since this is a common response, one can only imagine what the average Joe must think walking into an adult store. Far from expecting to improve their lives, the best they are hoping for is probably just something they or their partner can enjoy for a minute and then move on, like eating a piece of cake.
For those stores that choose to provide ranges of products for all types of individuals: you just won the hearts of all the non-"average" sexual-wellness inclined consumers out there.
The expectations of a consumer shopping for a sex toy, however, can easily be shaped by the shopping experience. First-time consumers, for instance, will probably not know anything about the type of store they are going into — it may just be conveniently nearby, or stumbled upon while on vacation. From pure lusty thrill to chic sophistication, the atmosphere of the store will matter a lot.
So will the availability and quality of assistance. If the customer is a real first-timer, they are going to be difficult to please. Everything will seem wonderful or silly, and they may have no idea about how anything works, what a toy is intended to do, whether it can be used solo or by couples — and most importantly, how it may make you feel. Without any experience to rely on, they will depend on the marketing, product presentation, sales associates, and the internet for guidance.
Online stores pose their own challenges for the first-time consumer. The platform is ubiquitous, everyone can access all the stores from home, information is abundant, and there are enough choices and decisions required to rival a paint store. It takes longer and can be draining trying to figure out what is the right product for you.
Earning street cred for being a sexual wellness-oriented store may help you gain the upper hand and attract first-timers. However, simply calling yourself a sexual wellness store and actually earning that title are two different things. We see stores embracing the "sexual wellness" label, but I feel the underlying test ought to be whether a store really offers products that can make customers' sex lives better.
To accomplish this, the emphasis has to be on the individual. If you wear a size 15 shoe, you probably wouldn’t go randomly shopping in shoe stores, because you know most stores didn’t carry size 15. Instead, you’d find the store that carries the size and styles you need, and this shoe store would be one you would return to regularly.
Size, function, control, texture are some of the factors that can make one product work better than another for an individual. Can a store realistically stock every product option to address consumers’ individual peccadilloes? No, but when if a manufacturer has done the research and made the investment to offer a full assortment of sizes and options, it is likely for a reason. By not offering them, you could be making your customers choose the wrong size or function product for their needs, simply because they don’t know it is available.
Am I specifically citing individual size requirements as a critical part of sexual wellness? Absolutely. Product fit is one of the most important criteria for making sure customers can enjoy the benefits of the product. A committed sexual-wellness-oriented store should have the ability sell any one style of product to the maximum range of individuals that manufacturer supports. If you stock only the bestsellers of any line, you are saying that you only cater to the sexual wellness of "average" people.
I’m going to focus for a bit on men’s products, mostly because this is where my experience is strongest. How many times has someone asked what size cock ring, or extender, or vacuum pump they should buy? Determining the size is always a bit of a challenge, but if you only carry the most popular sizes, then a substantial percentage of shoppers will walk away with the wrong-sized product. I am not against stores cherry-picking the bestsellers, but if you do this, and the manufacturer has gone to all the trouble to make sizes to fit the non-average, you are defeating one of the most valuable sales tools — that the line of products is a sexual wellness-oriented product line, which is evident by the range of sizes and/or features offered. When people understand that a product is designed with that intention, I believe they take it more seriously. A properly fitted product will always get a better review than a one-size-fits-all, and a better review means more sales.
When I started producing extra-long soft sheaths, people wondered why someone with a long penis would want to wear a sheath. My answer is: women like the ribbed texture, and thus the guys with long penises want ribs too. How many guys are used to not finding something that fits them in a store today? How many times have I assumed the selection in the store is a complete offering, only to find additional options online? Many people purchase a product in a store based on what is being offered, trusting the store has their best interests at heart, but all too often the selection was too narrow. If the consumer walks out of the store with a poorly fitted product because the right size wasn’t offered, the sexual wellness promise is not being delivered upon. This is the No. 1 sign to me of a store’s commitment to sexual wellness: are you catering to the real spectrum of individual sizes, so that at least 90 percent of the customers can get the product that will work for them?
Ultimately, the destiny of the brick-and-mortar storefront is dependent on differentiating itself from the online competition in a meaningful way. Being able to cut to the chase of what type of product is the right product for the customer, and then assisting them in getting the proper fit, are things that can be done quickly in a store environment — but are almost impossible to do quickly in e-commerce.
For those stores that choose to provide ranges of products for all types of individuals: you just won the hearts of all the non-"average" sexual-wellness inclined consumers out there. You will probably discover that consistently servicing the non-average customer is akin to being like a thoughtful and caring partner — you will be cherished. It will likely generate more word of mouth and positive references than servicing the mainstream alone, and you may find that earning the title of being a true "sexual wellness" store is a golden ticket for success.
Steve Callow is the inventor, designer and CEO of Florida-based Perfect Fit Brand. Established in 2011, Perfect Fit is the manufacturer of innovative, high-quality and easy-to-use sexual health aids and sex toys for the full gender and sexuality spectrum. Callow founded the company based on the principle that sex toys should not only look and feel great, but must, above all, perform.
